Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Writer Wiritng ~ Keeping a Journal

Is there a need for a writer, creative, to keep a journal?
Do you keep a journal?

I read an article on Flavorwire (If you haven't checked the site out, it's cool) (click here to read it in its entirety) about 10 Famous Authors on the Importance of Keeping a Journal- A couple of the authors listed are Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, C.S. Lewis, Ray Bradbury, and Joan Didion.
As a writer I look up writing sites- writers on writing, what they do, maybe what I should do- and every now and then there's someone saying you should keep a journal. They go on to explain the importance behind the theory. However, with everything in this world, there's yes, of course I keep a journal, and there's plain, no. I'm a plain no. No journal for me. Because of this brazen act against
writing down my inner thoughts, I have had people try to change my mind.
Part of my defense- I have a notebook (lol, I have a lot of notebooks, and love each one dearly) and write in it everyday. Not my inner thoughts, but random things, like, that song is awesome- add it to something. The guy at the store has a bluesy voice- add it somewhere. The beater car that passed me with its music blaring and out of state plates, has a story- write it. And the moment I saw Santa Claus driving an 80's TranAm, I made a note and swear, I look it at often. I also makes notes of conversations, food ideas, music, wine.. oh the wine, and I take pictures of everything. My phone has it's work cut out, thankfully, I don't use it to talk to people, lol. Still there's this doubt, and because I might overthink things... and then question why, I
wondered, why don't I keep a journal? Should I keep a journal? Do I
really want to keep a journal?

The answer remains a solid no. What I truly need is a way to explain the reason for not keeping a journal. The ah moment happened when I read the Flavorwire article- originally from the The Paris Review interview, 2010; Ray Bradbury is quoted “As soon as I get an idea, I write a short story, or I start a novel, or
I do a poem. So I have no need for a notebook. I do keep files of ideas
and stories that didn’t quite work a year ago, five years ago, ten
years ago. I come back to them later and I look through the titles. It’s
like a father bird coming with a worm. You look down at all these
hungry little beaks — all these stories waiting to be finished — and you
say to them, Which of you needs to be fed? Which of you needs to be
finished today? And the story that yells the loudest, the idea that
stands up and opens its mouth, is the one that gets fed. And I pull it
out of the file and finish it within a few hours.”
OK, so it's hard not to think, He's awesome. And yes, that's it.
The flip side is stated by Jessamyn West- “People who keep journals have life twice.”
There is something to writing down your life, seeing it, remembering what you did, how you survived, and how you moved on. I imagine it's empowering. Your strength shines without being stated. It's like a ninja- comes in and leaves and despite the ninja stars- I'll stop, no idea where I was going with that, but will write it down. I'm a forward kind of person and I think that is the reason for not keeping a traditional journal. See how I just threw that in there! Traditional. No, I'm not going to put my life on paper, or in the notes of my phone, I do believe all my notes are my life, every detail from words I hear in songs, right down to Santa Claus, and they're waiting to be brought to life.
Dang, did I just say, I keep a journal. There goes my solid no.

The greatness of classic creatures, monsters, insects, and the world of B horror, B science fiction in books and film starts in October. Stay tuned....

AWAKEN
By M.A. Kastle

It weaves through his decaying flesh, forever tightening its talons on
his stagnant heart. Its force, a kind of poison courses through his spoiled veins,
keeping his body alive, and his soul suspended between the underworld of the
dead and the world of the living. Ribbons of weakness wrap around his will and
demand he give up and die. He won’t. He remains alive feeding on the desire of
revenge. The dark and deadly visions entertain him, and keep his ancient mind from
eating the slivers of madness.